Press Releases

Today, Congressmen Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) co-chairs of the Congressional Dutch Caucus, sent a letter to Dutch Ambassador to the United States Rudolf Bekink expressing condolences over the loss of Dutch nationals aboard Flight MH17:

“The Dutch people have stood by us during times of great difficulty throughout our history and in this, your hour of need, we stand by you,” the Congressmen wrote. “We will work with you to ensure that those responsible for this grave injustice are held to account.”

The full text of the letter to Ambassador Bekink is below:

Dear Ambassador Bekink:

It was with great sadness that we received the news that 193 Dutch nationals were among the 298 people who lost their lives as a result of the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 on July 17th, 2014. As chairs of the Congressional Dutch Caucus, we have worked together with you to strengthen the enduring bond that our two peoples have shared since the earliest days of our Republic. The Dutch people have stood by us during times of great difficulty throughout our history and in this, your hour of need, we stand by you.

On behalf of the members of the Congressional Dutch Caucus and our colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, please convey to the Dutch people our sincerest condolences as your nation, and especially the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy, struggle to heal in its aftermath.

We pledge our support, our sympathies and the resources at our disposal to you and the people of the Netherlands during this trying time. We will work with you to ensure that those responsible for this grave injustice are held to account.

Sincerely,

Congressman Chris Van Hollen

Congressman Bill Huizenga